ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of periodontal health promotion and oral hygiene in children using a vibrating toothbrush. METHODS: Forty-seven volunteers aged between 7-15 years participated in this study at local care centers from January to February 2013. A vibratory toothbrush for children was designed with the bristles operating on a self-vibration system that separated the head-neck part of the toothbrush from the handle. The toothbrush was designed with the aim of massaging the gingiva and reducing gingival inflammation. The papillary marginal attachment (PMA) index and O'Leary plaque index were measured by oral examinations before and at 4 weeks after brushing with the vibrating toothbrush. RESULTS: The PMA index and O'Leary plaque index were reduced from 39.20 to 25.42 (P<0.001) and from 5.56 to 2.78 (P<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that vibrating toothbrushes designed for children can be helpful in promoting gingival health and improving oral hygiene.
Subject(s)
Aged , Child , Humans , Diagnosis, Oral , Gingiva , Gingivitis , Health Promotion , Inflammation , Oral HygieneABSTRACT
Una de las causas principales de las dolencias bucales es la placa dental. Para el control de la misma, el cepillo con esponja vegetal (Luffa cylindrica. L Roem) podría convertirse en un auxiliar alternativo económico. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la eficacia del cepillo de esponja vegetal frente al cepillo convencional en la remoción de placa supragingival. Ensayo clínico, aleatorizado y simple ciego para el evaluador. Fueron incluidos en el estudio 95 estudiantes de Odontología de las Universidades del Pacífico Privada, Nacional de Asunción, Central del Paraguay y Autónoma de Asunción sin patología bucal evidente, con más de 20% de placa dental en el examen inicial. La presencia de placa gingival basal fue evaluada con el índice de O' Leary tras seis horas mínimas sin cepillado ni uso de colutorios, a continuación se procedió al cepillado con los métodos asignados volviéndose a evaluar la presencia de placa supragingival. No se observó diferencia significativa en el porcentaje promedio de placa por la técnica Luffa en comparación con la técnica convencional después del cepillado (60% ±19 vs 62% ± 21 valor de p = 0,53, prueba t de student. El cepillo con esponja vegetal (Luffa cylindrica. L Roem) es una alternativa económica para la reducción de la placa supragingival.
One of the main causes of oral diseases is dental plaque. The loofah (Luffa cylindrica. L Roem) brush could become an economics alternative auxiliary to control dental plaque. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the loofa brush against the conventional toothbrush in the supragingival plaque removal. This was a randomized clinical trial, single blinded for the evaluator. Ninety five odontology students from the governmental National University of Asuncion and the private Pacifico and Autonoma de Asunción universities were included in the study. They did not have any obvious oral pathology and had more than 20% of dental plaque in the initial examination. The presence of basal gingival plaque was evaluated with the O Leary index after a minimum of six hours without brushing and using mouthwash. Then, they brushed their teeth with the method assigned and the presence of supragingival plaque was reevaluated. There was no significant difference in the mean percentages of plaque by the Luffa plaque technique compared with the conventional technique after brushing (60% ± 19 vs 62% ± 19 vs 62 ±, p value=0.53, Students t test). The loofa brush (Loofah cylindrica, L. Roem) is an economical alternative for the reduction of the supragingival plaque.